25 July 2023

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Pursuant to Rule 10.28(d), the Appellate Judicial Commission announces the following demographic information relating to applicants for the vacancy on the Supreme Court of Missouri created by the August 2023 retirement of Judge George W. Draper III.

There are 22 applicants, of whom six report they are female and one reports being a minority applicant. Four are employed outside the Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis metropolitan areas. Fifteen applicants work in the public sector, three work in the private sector and four work in both. Of those in the private sector, three work in a solo or small-firm practice. Of those in the public sector, 15 are judges. The applicants’ mean age is 47.4 years. 

Rule 10.28(d) permits the commission to select from among all a vacancy’s applicants those it wishes to interview. Historically, names of those being considered for a judicial vacancy were not released to the public; effective September 2010, the Supreme Court of Missouri changed Rule 10 to permit the judicial commissions to release the names of those individuals being interviewed. For this vacancy, the commission announces it will interview all 22 applicants:

Thomas C. Albus

Megan B. Benton

Becky J.W. Borthwick

Kelly C. Broniec

Sarah A. Castle

Thomas C. Clark II

Stephen S. Davis

Michael E. Gardner

Kenneth R. Garrett III

Ginger K. Gooch

Jack A.L. Goodman

Jennifer R. Growcock

Joseph B. Kloecker

Christopher K. Limbaugh

Anton H. Luetkemeyer

Shaun J. Mackelprang

Jeffery T. McPherson

David E. Roland

Cristian M. Stevens

John P. Torbitzky

Stanley J. Wallach

Grant W. Wobig

The commission is expected to conduct interviews beginning at 12:30 p.m. Monday, August 21 and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at the Supreme Court Building, 207 West High Street in Jefferson City. Interviews are open to the public, subject to available seating; they will not be available online.

The commission is expected to meet at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, August 22, after interviews conclude, at the Supreme Court Building to select the three nominees from this applicant pool for the governor’s consideration. 

Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676